Where is Wally?

Pachinko

Pachinko (パチンコ, Pachinko) is a Japanese gaming device used for amusement and prizes. Although pachinko machines were originally strictly mechanical, modern pachinko machines are a cross between a pinball machine and a video slot machine.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachinko

Today, the pachinko places are buildings full of all kind of electronic entertainment devices. Some of these places have up to 7 incredibly noisy floors packed with hundreds of people and cigarette smoke everywhere! Probably this is the closest to hell you can get. But who said hell was not fun?

Tokyo: the entertainment city!

Tokyo is the city that never sleeps!
In the most awesome city in the globe, having fun is not an issue. Bars, clubs, discos, pachinkos. The city is open 24h at full speed!
And the "entertainment buildings" are certainly a highlight. In these building you have a huge selection of activities such as game, ping-pong, billiard, mini-golf, mini-baseball, darts, karaoke. Everything in one place, selling booze and open until 5am. You know what happens next...

Some little images from Japan

Women-only train cars

According to a survey conducted in Tokyo last year, nearly 64 percent of Japanese women in their 20s and 30s said they've been groped on trains, subways or at transit stations in the city.
These subway gropers -- who lean, rub and pinch during the remarkably crowded rush hours -- are known in Japanese as "chikan."

The solution found by Japanese: women-only train cars! Oh these little perverts...

Earthquakes and Tsunamis

Japan is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world. Geological instability causes around 1,000 tremors in the country each year, although many of these go undetected by the public.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3950315.stm

And after one month in Japan, I had my first earthquake experience this week: 6.8 on Richter scale.

At this time you realize how much Japanese are used to that. It is natural and part of their daily lives. As it is something you cannot prevent or predict, they make sure that buildings are constructed with all the security requirements to go trough an earthquake and they also keep people informed on how to behave in the case of a disaster.

But the little things are the best part...

Nikko

"The first temple in Nikko was founded more than 1,200 years ago along the shores of the Daiya River. However, in 1616, the dying Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu made it known that his final wish was for his successors to "Build a small shrine in Nikko and enshrine me as the God. I will be the guardian of peace keeping in Japan." As a result, Nikko became home of the mausoleums of the Tokugawa Shoguns, which are on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Unlike most Japanese temples and shrines, the buildings here are extremely gaudy and ornate, with multicolored carvings and plenty of gold leaf, and show heavy Chinese influence. Some sense of dignity is restored by a magnificent forest of over 13,000 cedar trees, covering the entire area."


Source: http://wikitravel.org/en/Nikko
More info: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3800.html

Golden Week

Golden Week (ゴールデンウィーク, Gōruden Wīku^?), also known as Ōgata renkyū (大型連休, Ōgata renkyū^?) or Ōgon shūkan (黄金週間, Ōgon shūkan^?), is a Japanese term applied to the period containing the following public holidays:

• April 29
  • Emperor's Birthday (天皇誕生日, Emperor's Birthday^?), until 1988
  • Greenery Day, or Nature Day (みどりの日, Midori no hi^?), from 1989 until 2006
  • Shōwa Day (昭和の日, Shōwa no hi^?), from 2007
• May 3
  • Constitution Memorial Day (憲法記念日, Kenpō kinenbi^?)
• May 4
  • holiday^† (国民の休日, Kokumin no kyūjitsu^?), from 1985 until 2006
  • Greenery Day, or Nature Day (みどりの日, Midori no hi^?) (from 2007)
• May 5
  • Children's Day (こどもの日, Kodomo no hi^?), also customarily known as Boys' Day (端午の節句, Tango no sekku^?)

In other words, I am getting the road!
I will be back soon with loads of pictures....